1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to material or article handling and more particularly to wall or ceiling member manipulating apparatus, alternatively, this invention relates to the general art of supports.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Drywall and other forms of interior surface finishing panels used in the building industry are traditionally applied to ceiling and wall framing by placing planar sheets against the framing and securing each sheet in place by nailing, screwing, adhesive bonding or by a combination of fastening techniques to achieve permanent installation of adjacent panels or sheets. Because of the size and weight of such construction materials, the installation procedure often requires at least two persons, particularly where each sheet must be retained in an elevated position while fasteners are installed. Also, it is usually necessary that one or both of the two persons manually retain the sheet in position with one hand while inserting the fastener elements with the other hand. The installation is further complicated by the requirement in many cases that both persons use step ladders, scaffolding or other form of movable platform in order to reach the sheet in it ultimate position.
Accordingly, the art contains several inventions for facilitating installation of such materials. While somewhat effective, the devices embodying these inventions are often bulky, difficult to set up, difficult to knock down, expensive and inconvenient.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus for handling and supporting construction materials, such as drywall or the like, that is easy to use and is also easy to set up and to knock down.
Still further, some panels are more bulky than others and some panel installations are more precarious than others. Thus, some mechanism should be available for making a device used to handle such panels more stable in some situations. However, this should not be done by simply making the apparatus as bulky as possible so it can handle all situations. This approach would make the apparatus too bulky for some situations thereby making the apparatus too costly for most situations.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus for handling and supporting construction materials that is versatile and can be made stable enough for each particular situation.
Of course, the modification of such an apparatus should not require a great deal of work which would vitiate the advantages associated with the versatility of the apparatus.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus for handling and supporting construction materials that is versatile and can quickly and easily be made stable enough for each particular situation.
It is a main object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for handling and supporting construction materials.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for handling and supporting construction materials such as drywall or the like.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for handling and supporting construction materials such as drywall or the like that is used in the ceiling of a building.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for handling and supporting construction materials such as drywall or the like that is used in the ceiling of a building that is easy to use and is also easy to set up and to knock down.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for handling and supporting construction materials that is versatile and can be made stable enough for each particular situation.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for handling and supporting construction materials that is versatile and can quickly and easily be made stable enough for each particular situation.
These, and other, objects are achieved by an apparatus for handling, lifting and supporting construction panels which comprises a pole unit which includes a plurality of telescopingly engaged poles; a quick-release lock coupling two of the poles of the pole unit together when in a locking configuration; a pole unit mounting unit fixedly mounted on one pole of the pole unit and including two scaffolding-engaging brackets having U-shaped bodies which releasably engage elements of a scaffolding unit; a workpiece-engaging unit rotatably mounted on a second pole of the pole unit; and a lock element locking the workpiece-engaging unit to the second pole of the pole unit when in a locked configuration.
The U-shaped bodies of the pole mounting unit are easily attached to elements of a scaffolding for a quick and easy set up, and are easily detached from the scaffolding for a quick and easy knockdown. The workpiece-engaging unit is rotatable so it can assume the most effective orientation with respect to the workpiece, and can be removed and replaced with a workpiece-engaging element that is most effective for a particular job. For example, the same apparatus can be used to install drywall and to install conduits. This makes the apparatus versatile and thus cost effective.
Additional support locations can be easily and quickly added to the apparatus so the apparatus can be modified to be more stable in an easy and rapid manner.